My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality

Our Mathematical Universe

In Our Mathematical Universe, Max Tegmark, one of the most original physicists at work today, leads us on an astonishing journey to explore the mysteries uncovered by cosmology and to discover the nature of reality 
 
Part-history of the cosmos, part-intellectual adventure, Our Mathematical Universe travels from the Big Bang to the distant future via parallel worlds, across every possible scale - from the sub-atomic to the intergalactic - showing how mathematics provides the answers to our questions about the world. Where do we come from? What makes the universe the way it is? In essence, why are we here? With dazzling clarity, Max Tegmark ponders these deep mysteries and allows us to grasp the most cutting-edge and mind-boggling theories of physics. What he proposes is an elegant and fascinating idea: that our physical world not only is described by mathematics, but that it is mathematics. 
 
'Our Mathematical Universe is nothing if not impressive. Brilliantly argued and beautifully written, it is never less than thought-provoking about the greatest mysteries of our existence' - New York Times 
 
'An amazing ride through the rich landscape of contemporary cosmology... Physics could do with more characters like Tegmark... an imaginative intellect and a charismatic presence' - Clive Cookson, Financial Times 
 
Max Tegmark is author or co-author of more than 200 technical papers, twelve of which have been cited more than 500 times. He has featured in dozens of science documentaries, and his work with the SDSS collaboration on galaxy clustering shared the first prize in Science magazine's "Breakthrough of the Year: 2003". He holds a Ph.D from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a physics professor at MIT.

Our Mathematical Universe is nothing if not impressive. Brilliantly argued and beautifully written, it is never less than thought-provoking about the greatest mysteries of our existence

An amazing ride through the rich landscape of contemporary cosmology... Physics could do with more characters like Tegmark... an imaginative intellect and a charismatic presence

Tegmark is one of the rock gods of cosmology, a select group of thinkers who are using their mathematical prowess to tear up all our cherished notions about the universe, and replace it with a cosmos that is so bewilderingly weird that it makes the plot of most science-fiction novels look like an Ikea instruction leaflet

Our Mathematical Universe boldly confronts one of the deepest questions: why is mathematics so spectacularly successful at describing the cosmos? Through lively writing and wonderfully accessible explanations, Max Tegmark - one of the world's leading theoretical physicists - guides the reader to a possible answer, and reveals how, if it's right, our understanding of reality itself would be radically altered

Max Tegmark is a professor of physics at MIT and president of the Future of Life Institute. He is the author of Our Mathematical Universe, and he has featured in dozens of science documentaries. His passion for ideas, adventure, and an inspiring future is infectious.

Max Tegmark

All of us - not only scientists, industrialists and generals-should ask ourselves what can we do now to improve the chances of reaping the benefits of future AI and avoiding the risks. This is the most important conversation of our time, and Tegmark's thought-provoking book will help you join it

This is a rich and visionary book and everyone should read it.

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us­-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguished scientist helps us to assess the odds.

Prof. Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, cosmology pioneer, author of Our Final Hour

This is a compelling guide to the challenges and choices in our quest for a great future of life, intelligence and consciousness - on Earth and beyond.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors

Being an eminent physicist and the leader of the Future of Life Institute has given Max Tegmark a unique vantage point from which to give the reader an inside scoop on the most important issue of our time, in a way that is approachable without being dumbed down.

Max seeks to facilitate a much wider conversation about what kind of future we, as a species, would want to create. Though the topics he covers - AI, cosmology, values, even the nature of conscious experience - can be fairly challenging, he presents them in an unintimidating manner that invites the reader to form her own opinions.

Prof. Nick Bostrom, Founder of Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute, author of Superintelligence

The unprecedented power unleashed by artificial intelligence means the next decade could be humanity's best - or worst.  Max has written the most insightful and just plain fun exploration of AI's implications that I've ever read. If you haven't been exposed to Max's joyful mind yet, you're in for a huge treat.

Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and co-author of "The Second Machine Age”

Max's new book is a deeply thoughtful guide to the most important conversation of our time, about how to create a benevolent future civilization as we merge our biological thinking with an even greater intelligence of our own creation.

Ray Kurzweil, Inventor, Author and Futurist, author of The Singularity is Near and How to Create a Mind

This is an exhilarating book that will change the way we think about AI, intelligence, and the future of humanity.

Bart Selman, Professor of Computer Science, Cornell University

Tegmark successfully gives clarity to the many faces of AI, creating a highly readable book [...] Enjoy the ride, and you will come out the other end with a greater appreciation of where people might take technology and themselves in the years ahead.

Stands out ... Tegmark explains brilliantly many concepts in fields from computing to cosmology, writes with intellectual modesty and subtlety, does the reader the important service of defining his terms clearly, and rightly pays homage to the creative minds of science-fiction writers who were, of course, addressing these kinds of questions more than half a century ago. It's often very funny, too.

Fascinating ... for sheer science fun, it's hard to beat

Lucid and engaging [...] Tegmark's explanation of how electronic circuitry - or a human brain - could produce something as evanescent and immaterial as thought is both elegant and enlightening.

It should be among the most important items on our political agenda. Unfortunately, AI has so far hardly registered on our political radar ... Max Tegmark's Life 3.0 tries to rectify the situation. Written in an accessible and engaging style, and aimed at the general public, the book offers a political and philosophical map of the promises and perils of the AI revolution. Instead of pushing any one agenda or prediction, Tegmark seeks to cover as much ground as possible, reviewing a wide variety of scenarios concerning the impact of AI on the job market, warfare and political systems. Life 3.0 does a good job of clarifying basic terms and key debates, and in dispelling common myths.

Tegmark's smart, freewheeling discussion leads to fascinating speculations on AI-based civilizations spanning galaxies and eons-and knotty questions: Will our digital overlords be conscious? Will they coddle us with abudance and virtual-reality idylls or exterminate us with bumblebee-size attack robots? While digerati may be enthralled by the idea of superintelligent civilizations where "beautiful theorems" servce as the main economic resource, Tegmark's future will strike many as a one in which, at best, humans are dependent on AI-powered technology and, at worst, are extinct... Love it or hate it, it's an engrossing forecast.

'I view this conversation about the future of AI as the most important one of our time,' he writes. Life 3.0 might convince even those who believe that AI is overhyped to join in.

Explores one of the most intriguing scientific frontiers, artificial general intelligence, and how humans can grow along with it. ... most will find the narrative irresistible.

Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

We stand at the beginning of a new era. What was once science fiction is fast becoming reality, as AI transforms war, crime, justice, jobs and society-and, even, our very sense of what it means to be human. More than any other technology, AI has the potential to revolutionize our collective future - and there's nobody better situated to explore that future than Max Tegmark, an MIT professor and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute, whose work has helped mainstream research on how to keep AI beneficial. In this deeply researched and vitally important new book, Tegmark takes us to the heart of thinking about AI and the human condition, bringing us face to face with the essential questions of our time. What sort of future do we want? Life 3.0 gives us the tools to join what may be the most important conversation of our time.

Max Tegmark

Praise for Life 3.0

All of us - not only scientists, industrialists and generals-should ask ourselves what can we do now to improve the chances of reaping the benefits of future AI and avoiding the risks. This is the most important con ...

This is a rich and visionary book and everyone should read it.

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguishe ...

All of us - not only scientists, industrialists and generals-should ask ourselves what can we do now to improve the chances of reaping the benefits of future AI and avoiding the risks. This is the most important con ...

This is a rich and visionary book and everyone should read it.

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguishe ...

All of us - not only scientists, industrialists and generals-should ask ourselves what can we do now to improve the chances of reaping the benefits of future AI and avoiding the risks. This is the most important con ...

This is a rich and visionary book and everyone should read it.

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguishe ...

Books by Max Tegmark

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Praise for Life 3.0

All of us - not only scientists, industrialists and generals-should ask ourselves what can we do now to improve the chances of reaping the benefits of future AI and avoiding the risks. This is the most important con ...

This is a rich and visionary book and everyone should read it.

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us­-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguishe ...

All of us - not only scientists, industrialists and generals-should ask ourselves what can we do now to improve the chances of reaping the benefits of future AI and avoiding the risks. This is the most important con ...

This is a rich and visionary book and everyone should read it.

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us­-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguishe ...

All of us - not only scientists, industrialists and generals-should ask ourselves what can we do now to improve the chances of reaping the benefits of future AI and avoiding the risks. This is the most important con ...

This is a rich and visionary book and everyone should read it.

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us­-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguishe ...

Books by Max Tegmark

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguishe ...

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguishe ...

I was riveted by this book. The transformational consequences of AI may soon be upon us-but will they be utopian or catastrophic? The jury is out, but this enlightening, lively and accessible book by a distinguishe ...